Dynamic Bit Rate Adjustment for Streaming Media Buffer Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital content streaming systems face playback quality issues when users request accelerated playback, as they often result in buffer under-run, leading to unreliable or halted playback due to the inability to maintain bit rate without depleting the content buffer.
Innovation Solution
The method dynamically adjusts the bit rate of streaming media by determining a lower bit rate that can be supported by both the accelerated playback rate and available network bandwidth, allowing seamless playback without buffer under-run, by switching to lower bit rate encoding for subsequent content units while continuing playback with higher bit rate data already in the buffer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If playback speed is accelerated to skip through content faster, then productivity is improved, but the content buffer drains completely causing buffer under-run and playback interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the bit rate of downloaded content based on playback speed. When accelerated playback is detected, the system automatically lowers the bit rate to reduce the data drain rate from the buffer, thereby maintaining buffer levels and preventing playback interruptions. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between fast playback and continuous playback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the bit rate parameter of the streaming content in response to playback speed changes. By lowering the bit rate when playback speed increases, the system ensures that the buffer depletion rate matches the accelerated playback rate, preventing buffer under-runs while maintaining continuous playback.
2Manufacturing precision
If bit rate is maintained at high level for quality playback, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the buffer drains faster during accelerated playback
Solution Approach 1:
The system adjusts the bit rate parameter based on playback speed conditions. During accelerated playback, the bit rate is reduced to extend buffer duration, while during normal playback, the highest available bit rate is used to maximize playback quality. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between quality and buffer duration.
3Reliability
If lower bit rate is used to extend buffer duration, then reliability is improved, but playback quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts bit rate based on playback speed conditions rather than using a fixed low bit rate. During accelerated playback, lower bit rate extends buffer sustainability. During normal playback, higher bit rate maximizes quality. This conditional dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between buffer sustainability and playback quality.
4Productivity
If accelerated playback is implemented without bit rate adjustment, then productivity is improved, but buffer under-run occurs causing playback to halt
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by monitoring playback speed and buffer levels, then automatically adjusting the bit rate in response. When accelerated playback is detected, the system feeds back by lowering the bit rate to prevent buffer under-runs, ensuring continuous playback. This feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction between accelerated playback and playback continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a technique for dynamically adjusting streaming media bit rates in response to user requests for accelerated playback. A user request to increase a playback speed at which the units of digital content are played back on a content player is received. Upon receiving the user request to increase the playback speed, while previously downloaded units of the digital content having a first bit rate are being output for display, and prior to downloading a next unit of digital content from a content server, embodiments determine that the increased playback speed cannot be maintained without buffer underrun if subsequent units of digital content are downloaded from the content server at the first bit rate. A second bit rate, lower than the first bit rate, is determined and the next unit of digital content is downloaded from the content server for playback at the second bit rate.